Our Mission

To cultivate radically inclusive, compassionate, and empowered communities through trauma-informed, equity-centered work designed to drive sustainable change.

Our Vision

We believe in building a culture where trauma is recognized, healing is paramount, relationships are the primary value, and equity is a universal goal.

Our Values

Our values act as underlying principles that guide our work as an organization and among the individuals and communities we serve.

  • Human connection has the potential to heal in extraordinary ways. When others help us shoulder the weight of systemic inequities, isolation, and trauma, individuals can access communal support and collective healing. Connection that is grounded in trauma-informed equity-centered practices prioritizes compassion-led behaviors that strengthen the quality of our personal and communal relationships.

  • Humility is a primary catalyst for positive change. Confronting experiences with trauma requires us to first examine our own limiting beliefs and inherent bias with heightened awareness. Embracing self-reflection while engaging others with openness and curiosity dismantles our personal and systemic biases. This practice of humility opens doors to a profound future where compassion, empathy, and true belonging are actualized for all.

  • Systemic discrimination, lack of representation, racial, cultural, and sexual bias, violence, and abuse have traumatized individuals and communities for generations. These are highly complex issues – and many don’t know where to start when it comes to creating real change. Our collaborative approach with trauma-informed equity-centered practices is grounded in research. Our expertise lets us be responsive and adaptive, helping to identify multiple entry points to begin the work. In partnership, we co-create tailored, contextual, and growth-centered capacity building to support sustainable growth while acknowledging that the change process requires tenacity and patience. We build upon and deepen the strengths of the diverse individuals and communities we serve.

  • A more equitable future is not an outcome – it is an ongoing process that compels us to examine how our different identities and experiences manifest as we live our lives today. Equity is digging into the historic and present-day disparities among us, in a deliberate effort to name and repair harm caused by these disparities. Confronting equity issues requires responsiveness, humility, and connection.

Empowered Educators. Resilient Futures.

Educators & Youth-Seving Professionals of today are faced with navigating the complex needs of students who are victims of childhood trauma. Without adequate training to support students with strategies that build strength and resilience, managing these challenges takes a serious toll.

With trauma-informed training and support, everyone in the school community gains an understanding of trauma-related behaviors, cultural humility, and resilience-building skills to identify and intercept trauma responses, while centering racial equity.

Why We’re Here

Resilient Futures is a non-profit organization founded in 2018. We focus on building resilient communities that promote healing and well-being through collaboration, education, and community engagement. We hold a central belief in the strength of creating partnerships that can collectively work to help individuals, communities, and systems thrive.

  • In 2018, Resilient Futures was created when three clinical psychologists, Dr. Laura McArthur, Dr. Eleonora Cahill, and Dr. Megan Brennan, united under a unified mission to cultivate safe, equitable, and resilient communities for every young person.

    Resilient Futures was conceived to help bridge the gap in trauma-informed and equity-focused training within schools and youth-serving organizations.

    Behind many youth behavioral challenges lie untold stories of adversity, where what appears as maladaptive behaviors are often survival mechanisms in disguise. Now the question was how to bring this knowledge, along with practical trauma-informed tools and strategies, to Educators and Community Leaders - shifting mindsets, behaviors, and ultimately school culture - to drive sustainable change.

    Drawing from their experience at acclaimed academic institutions such as the Harvard School of Education, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), UPenn, and more, the trio saw the urgent need for a dedicated nonprofit entity to cater fully to the clamoring demands for training and support from educational institutions nationwide.

    As society grapples with the harsh realities of poverty, stress, racism, abuse & neglect, and other forms of trauma affecting our youth at alarming rates, Resilient Futures stands for hope and healing. With each passing day, schools and organizations increasingly acknowledge the profound impact of trauma and inequity on their students, teachers, and everyone in the school community. Consequently, the demand for trauma-informed training and programming has surged. 5 years since its founding, Resilient Futures has trained 5,400+ educators and community leaders, impacting over 165,000 students across the country.

    At the heart of their work remains the commitment to unraveling the intricate web of trauma, race, and poverty. Through comprehensive training and advocacy, Resilient Futures champions the cultivation of environments where safety, equity, and resilience flourish for all.

The Phoenix flower

With only a few drops of water, the Phoenix flower can be revived from dehydration and thrive. Like the Phoenix flower, through centralizing relationships and opportunities to relate & reflect, we can then restore and renew as individuals and communities.

Impact since 2018

Voices of Resilience

Hear from our client partners about their experiences working with Resilient Futures to implement trauma-informed practices within their schools and organizations.

Give to further our Mission

More than ever, our schools and youth-serving communities are in need of trauma-informed, equity-centered training and resources. Your tax-deductible gift will directly fund our program expansion efforts, enabling us to provide trauma-informed training and resources to a greater number of educators, schools, and youth-serving organizations.

Annual Reports

Interested in learning more about our Trauma-Informed Futures© Programming & Services?

  • Resilient Futures is an Equal-Opportunity employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind.

    Resilient Futures is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. Resilient Futures prohibits discrimination or harassment based on race, color, national and ethnic origin, religion, gender, gender expression, age, disability, marital status, creed, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law in any of its activities. Each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and is free from discriminatory practices, including without limitation harassment. Resilient Futures will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.